


From Distant Worlds

by kuragay



Series: Natsume Week 2020 [3]
Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Touch-Starved Natsume Takashi, Tumblr: Natsume Week, Tumblr: Natsume Week 2020, Youkai Natsume Takashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25064569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuragay/pseuds/kuragay
Summary: Natori goes into the forest to seal a violent Oni and stumbles upon a powerful, lonely god.-“You’re human,” Natsume says softly as he stands, his lilac kimono draping down, the long silk sleeves shifting gently as a breeze blows by.Natori swallows, then nods. “I am. And...I’m assuming that you’re not.”As if amused, Natsume smiles, and although it looks deceptively kind, Natori has the feeling that he isn’t welcomed here. There is power saturating the air, every breath in Natori’s lungs feeling as if it’s fused with spiritual energy, the trees and flowers all lush and plentiful. This is power that Natori has never felt--not even from the few gods he’s interacted with before. It's as frightening as it's attracting.-Day 3: Earth
Relationships: Natori Shuuichi & Natsume Takashi
Series: Natsume Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812550
Comments: 14
Kudos: 302





	From Distant Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> This follows the prompt very loosely, if at all, but I did my best.

Mid-summer brings a heat wave to all of mid and southern Japan, drowning Natori’s busy days in sweat and exhaustion. With all the festivals, good weather, and new plant growth, spirits also seem more active. He catches youkai peeking out from the woods, sitting on benches, hiding in bushes, but they don’t bother him, so he ignores them. He has too much to do to focus on weak, harmless creatures.

It just so happens that he’s in the forest hunting a powerful, forest-terrorizing youkai when he stumbles across Natsume. At first, he thinks Natsume is human, but the longer he looks, the more he realizes that he’s in the presence of something else. 

Natsume sits cross-legged on a large tree stump, his eyes shut, sunlight haloing his hair and dripping onto his cheeks. His lashes are long, his lips parted, and his hair seems to almost glow, pale and unworldly. When he opens his eyes, Natori actually feels himself lose his breath. Pale, pale irises, delicate limbs. He’s so beautiful it almost hurts to look at him, but he seems to have no trouble looking at Natori, his gaze piercing enough that Natori finds he can no longer move.

“You’re human,” Natsume says softly as he stands, his lilac kimono draping down, the long silk sleeves shifting gently as a breeze blows by. 

Natori swallows, then nods. “I am. And...I’m assuming that you’re not.”

As if amused, Natsume smiles, and although it looks deceptively kind, Natori has the feeling that he isn’t welcomed here. There is power saturating the air, every breath in Natori’s lungs feeling as if it’s fused with spiritual energy, the trees and flowers all lush and plentiful. This is power that Natori has never felt--not even from the few gods he’s interacted with before. It is as frightening as it is attracting.

“What’s your business here?” Natsume seems to glide over until he’s less than a meter away, and up close he’s even more stunning, his breath cold on Natori’s face. When he reaches his hand up, Notori sees emerald green nails before fingers tilt his chin down so that they’re eye to eye.

“I’m Natori Shuuichi,” he manages to say even though the fingers pressing dangerously close to his throat have his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Natsume hums then lets go, but he keeps his eyes on Natori. 

“The Natori clan, then.”

“Yes.”

“You’re here to exorcise a youkai.”

“Yes.” Then, in a fit of courage, Natori asks, “Who are you?”

He doesn’t expect the appraising look that follows, nor the small smile that adorns Natsume’s face. “You can call me Natsume,” he says, then turns away from Natori. He starts to walk, and at first Natori thinks that Natsume’s leaving, but a pale hand beckons his forth.

“What youkai are you looking for?” Natsume asks as Natori strides quickly to catch up.

His mouth opens, equal parts shock and delight. “You’re helping me?”

Laughter trails from Natsume’s lips, and Natori swears Natsume rolls his eyes. “I’m helping the forest, and if it happens to help you too, then so be it.”

“You act like you already know what I’m here to get rid of.”

“There’s been an Oni,” Natsume admits, his face grimacing in an unusually human way. “He’s been eating the residents of this forest and it’s been giving me a headache. I’ve been attempting to track him down these past few days, so it’s pure luck that you’re here at this time for the same thing.”

When Natsume turns to look at Natori, his expression is painfully gentle. “You’ll only exorcise this one, right? Then you’ll be on your way.” There seems to be an old wound there, but Natori doesn’t prod it.

“I won’t harm any peaceful youkai, but if any prove to be troublesome, I can’t promise anything.” There’s a divide between youkai and humans. Of that, Natori isn’t naive. He knows better than to expect the best out of everyone, and he knows any type of kindness can be taken advantage of. Already, he feels that Natsume--despite is power--is too kind. He’s never met non-shiki youkai who have been willing to help humans, let alone an exorcist. 

Natsume stops walking the moment Natori stops speaking, and he turns towards Natori with a soft sigh. “You won’t harm any youkai in the forest other than the Oni.” His voice is steady and quiet, but a palpable fury emanates from him, and Natori actually feels fear roll over him like a wave. “I need your word. Otherwise, you can find the Oni on your own, and I’ll watch as it has your head.”

The juxtaposition of the biting words coming from Natsume’s calm expression is jarring, but Natori is reminded once again that Natsume’s not human, and that their minds don’t work on the same wavelength.

“You have a word,” he agrees, and Natsume looks at him for a second longer before nodding, commencing his walk back into the woods.

It’s almost leisurely, the pace they go at, but Natsume must be tracking something because he turns in random places, walks up then down before deciding to go right, and spends a couple minutes with his hands in the dirt, his eyes closed as if he’s feeling for something.

“He’s near, I think,” Natsume says, and Natori’s immediately on guard. “You do what you have to do here. I’ll lead him to where you need him to be.”

Natori nods, then a thought occurs to him. “With your power, shouldn’t you be able to get rid of the Oni on your own?”

Natsume clearly finds this amusing, and his expression makes Natori feel like he’s being patronized. “There are different types of powers, and not all have the capability nor capacity to destroy. It would be best for you to remember this. The Oni may not be able to harm me, but I’m also unable to harm him.”

“If he can’t harm you, why do you want him gone?”

“I’ve said it before, haven’t I?” Natsume’s expression closes off, cold. “He’s been eating other youkai here. Do you really assume that all youkai are entirely self-serving?”

Swallowing heavily, Natori feels a discomfort stir in his chest, and it takes him a while to place the feeling as shame. He opens his mouth to apologize, but Natsume waves him off.

“I’ll go bring him here now. Be ready.” With a smooth swish of his kimono, Natsume disappears into the trees, and Natori starts drawing a circle into the dirt.

He finishes just as the trees part, a loud howl following the thud of a trunk snapping. 

“Over here!” he hears Natsume shout just as he races into the clearing, skidding to a halt next to Natori as the Oni barrels after him, the entire ground shaking with the force and size of the creature.

“I DON’T FEAR YOU,” the Oni hollers, voice so loud that it hurts. “YOU GODS DON’T SCARE ME.” One step is all it takes, a massive foot entering the circle to activate the spell.

Immediately, Natori has to hang on for dear life, tuning out everything except for pure concentration, the strength of the creature nearly overwhelming. The Oni roars in absolute fury, his claws making a swipe towards Natori, but the barrier from the spell just barely holds him back.

“You, who do not belong here,” Natori starts, and then feels his heart immediately miss a beat when the spell wavers, his concentration cracking. He realizes, then, that he may actually fail, but suddenly, a finger brushes against the back of his neck, and power rushes into him so intense that he nearly buckles. He’s never felt such raw energy flowing within his veins, his limbs.

He breathes deeply, and every single nerve in his body connects. “You, who do not belong here, I seal thee!”

The Oni trashes and screeches, but he’s sucked into the clay pot like there’s a vacuum in it, his power not even a fraction of what’s blowing through Natori’s cells. He hurriedly attaches the lid and the seal, and Natsume’s fingers disconnect from his neck.

The strength exits Natori’s body in a violent torrent, folding him over, and every breath comes out a gasp. “What,” he wheezes, “what was that?”

“You ask, but you already know.”

And Natori does. That was a taste of the horrifying scale of Natsume’s capabilities. A power so immense that Natori fears for anyone who may cross him. Natsume says that he can’t destroy, but Natori thinks that he’s just never tried.

“I think that you probably didn’t need me at all to get rid of the damn Oni.” He’s still on his knees gasping, and Natsume carefully kneels down next to him, a hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

“Was it too much?” he asks, and he actually sounds concerned. When Natori looks at Natsume, he’s expecting his face to be mocking, but his eyebrows are furrowed, his cheeks rosy. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he says, inhaling and exhaling as best as he can.

In the scuffle, the kimono has fallen from Natsume’s shoulders, his collarbones sharply on display. There’s sweat dripping down the thin column of his neck, his skin pink from exertion, and he looks dreadfully, strikingly human.

“The Oni called you a god,” Natori remembers, his breathing finally returning to normal, and Natsume ducks away.

“I suppose that wouldn’t be entirely incorrect.”

“I’ve met gods before.”

“Have you now.”

“None have had your power.”

Natsume smiles almost sadly, a hand brushing silver strands of hair from his forehead. “Gods are a dying group in modern society.” He leaves it at that, getting to his feet, and Natori doesn’t push for more.

“You got what you came here for,” Natsume gestures to the pot. “I’ll lead you out of the forest.”

He takes Natori’s hand, pulling Natori to his feet, but even once they start walking, Natsume doesn’t let go.

They reach the edge of the forest too soon, the sound of cars and children playing once again detectable, drawing Natori out of the silence of the deep woods.

For a little while, Natori just stands there, reluctant to let go but he doesn’t know why. It’s Natsume who draws away first, untangling their hands, and he gazes at Natori almost mournfully.

“Take care, Natori,” he says. “You’re a kind human.”

“You’re kind, too.”

“Many youkai are. You just aren’t paying attention.” 

Natori pays attention now, watching as Natsume looks out at the houses lining the road almost longingly. There’s a story there that Natori doesn’t yet know, but he wants to.

“Hold on,” Natori says. “You have a twig in your hair.” His fingers reach up, and it feels like he’s touching silk, silver strands slipping from his skin. He gently eases the branch out, heart clenching when Natsume’s head follows his touch, his eyes fluttering shut.

Like this, with sunset casting the world in hazy orange, and Natsume standing in his draping kimono, Natori can’t help but think that Natsume looks unfathomably young and lonely. He doesn’t know what Natsume’s life is like in the forest, but now that Natsume’s walls are the most down they’ve been all day, Natori’s caught off guard by how vulnerable he seems.

“Will I see you again?” Natori can’t help but ask, and he’s delighted when Natsume’s expression of melancholy splits open to a laugh.

“If you come looking, I’ll be here.”

“I’ll come looking,” Natori promises.

Natsume catches Natori’s eyes once again, and in this lighting, Natori can’t help but think that he looks even more eerily beautiful. 

It’s Natsume who steps back first, and Natori’s feet drag as he leaves, but he forces himself to go, clutching the pot to his chest. When he looks back from the road, he can just make out Natsume standing there waving. Natori raises a hand and waves back, watching as Natsume turns and vanishes.

-

He finds Natsume on the same trunk, eyes closed and face tilted up towards the sun. Natsume’s eyelashes catch the light, his kimono deep green, and flowers decorate his hair.

Natori takes a step, and Natsume’s eyes open. 

“It only took you a year to come looking.”

“I was busy,” Natori says, and he has been. But now that he’s here, he doesn’t understand why he didn’t come back sooner. “I’m here now though. After all, I did promise.”

Natsume turns until they face each other, eye to eye, and Natori takes a step closer. When Natsume smiles, Natori swears the trees get greener, the flowers brighter. He’s in the presence of a god.

**Author's Note:**

> Natori’s shiki aren’t here because I have trouble keeping atmosphere when more than two characters are involved lol. Also, this isn’t meant to be romantic. Natsume’s just really, really pretty and Natori can’t help but notice.


End file.
